Every four years, the USGA and the R&A, the two organizations that maintain the Rules of Golf, make updates and modifications to the code that establishes how the game is officially played. Sometimes the rule changes are significant and at other times, they are clarifications. On Monday, with the announcement of rule changes that will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2023, the USGA and the R&A’s biggest focus is on sustainability and inclusion.
After the 2019 updates to the Rules of Golf were announced, the USGA and the R&A printed two million copies of the rule book. No more. The USGA and the R&A have announced that they will not be making printed copies of the Rules of Golf, forgoing the use of a half billion pieces of paper and saving the organizations significant costs. It also eliminates the costs associated with shipping and distributing the books. Going forward, they hope golfers will utilize the free Official Rules of Golf mobile app on their smartphones.
“We feel really good about the digital means that we have created to access the rules,” said Craig Winter, the USGA’s senior director of rules and amateur status. “Going forward, we’re not going to be relying on the rules book being in every bag. Everybody has a smartphone, and they can download the free app. We’re continuing to move forward and modernize, as we did in 2019, and it connects us to the golfer better. The mobile app is real-time, digital and we can keep them updated.”
A year after the first U.S. Adaptive Open was held at Pinehurst, the USGA and R&A are moving the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities into the Rules of Golf. Developed by the USGA and the R&A with input from adaptive organizations developed in 1996, the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities were a set of standardized accommodations that provided courses and tournament committees with guidelines when they hosted events for players with special needs, but as Model Local Rules, they had to be adopted to go into effect. Starting Jan. 1, the modifications will automatically be in place for everyone who needs them.
“Right now, that set of rules sits in the back of the official guide,” Winter said. “We know there are millions of golfers, millions of individuals out there that could be benefitting from this and by moving them into Rule 25 it raises the level of awareness, just like the U.S. Adaptive Open will continue to do. There are rules for individuals that do need to be modified, and the modifications are very practical. The committees don’t need to do anything to make this happen. This really makes the game more welcoming.”
Four other rule changes were also announced on Monday: